Follow The Good Wife

The Good Wife Review: "Infamy"

On this week's returning episode of The Good Wife, the series threw a lot at viewers.

But as it's done throughout its great initial season, the CBS series did so in an intelligent, well-paced, well-acted manner. Read through our complete episode recap for "Infamy" now.

What makes The Good Wife such a simple, enjoyable show? This installment provided a few examples:

No dumbing down: You either understand certain legal or political references or you don't. The show never dumbs down its content or its dialogue for viewers. Case in point: during a back-and-forth in court, Diane mentioned the Scooter Libby case and the judge replied by saying the defendant has "outflanked the prosecution on the left." Don't know what any of that means? Don't watch The Good Wife.

Great casting: We could sing the praises of Julianna Margulies all day. But let's focus on the drama's use of guest stars for now. David O'Hare has been a subtle riot in his recurring role as Judge Abernathy; and who out there didn't wanna strange Craig Bierko as Duke Roscoe? That means he did his job perfectly.

Small moments: Most shows go out of their way to paint characters in a certain way, to hammer home certain points. Not The Good Wife. Witness Cary's bumbling attempts to bond with the grieving husband this week, along with Peter's confident smile when placed in general population and Alicia's curious glance at Kalinda when Roscoe mentioned a "closeted lesbian" at the firm. Great stuff.